HP Z3200 manual Strengths, Weaknesses

Conclusion

The Z3100 is an exception tool, and like any tool it should be evaluated based on how well it accomplishes what is designed to do. Com- pared to the other printers in the HP Designjet line it’s obvious that the Z3200 is designed from the ground up to be a “Photo Printer”, meaning that the emphasis is on quality not quantity. In this capacity the printer is ideal for anyone looking to produce high quality color critical work, this primarily includes photographic, fine art, graphic design, 3d renderings, proofing and packaging.

For the photographer and graphic designer looking for consistent high quality output, this will be an enormously appealing product. For color work the prints are as good as anything I’ve seen. The vibrant reds and greens are quite impressive and add to the realism and ap- peal of color photographs. For black and white work, there is little question in my mind that the Z3200 produces the best output from any OEM ink set in production. The Z3100 makes monochrome printing easy, as well as elevating the quality of the output to the point where lingering traditionalists may now want to reevaluate their stance on digital printing. HP has a massive selection of papers that should fulfill the needs of most photographers and designers. The improvements to the Z3200 should also improve the printers’s ability to use 3rd party and speciality media. HP has also integrated all the tools necessary for managing color, ensuring that good accurate color is easily achievable. This solution oriented philosophy will hopefully allow users to spend more time employed in creative pursuits.

For the proofing market, color accuracy and speed are often the driving issues. The large gamut easily allows SWOP and GRACoL proofs, but the real advantage should be in spot color matching. The pantone emulation built into the PS version of the printer is quite good. While the need to profile a wide verity of media may not be used as often in the proofing world, the Z3100’s ability to perform routine calibrations should offer an even more exacting degree of uniformity between units, aiding remote proofing workflows as well as validating the accuracy of proofs. The drivers also provide excellent job accounting and consumables monitoring, which should allow the units to function well in multi-printer and corporate environments.

Dissected into it’s many components there are a number of minor and a few fairly major improvements incorporated into the Z3200. What is truly impressive however is the end result. Not everything about it is perfect. It frustrates me every time I have to move the printer away from the wall to load a roll, or the loud BEEP the printer emits when a sheet is loaded crooked. I dislike it when the printer crashes and the amount of time required to re-start. Despite these few shortcomings, the HP Z3200 is a great printer for its intended market. The Z3200 has addressed all of the major headaches associated with digital printing, while pushing the envelope in terms of quality, ease of use and archival stability. I considered the Z3100 somewhat of a milestone product, and the Z3200 build on that legacy. It has all of the advantages of a V2 product, meaning that the things that didn’t work were mostly addressed and the things that did work still do. Color gamut has surpassed virtually any other printing method. The stability of the prints exceed that of a typical human life and should now be the standard against which all other processes are compared. Monochrome output, once the entry point into photographic printing, has once again been made accessible to amateurs and experts alike. Color management has also been simplified to the point of being accessible for the vast majority of users. All of these features have been brought together with the end goal of allowing the user to focus as much energy as possible on the finished output, a major advance if there ever was one.

STRENGTHS

Hands-Off Maintenance - Printer is always ready to go

Low Ink Waste - No need to swap black, no maintenance tanks

Color Gamut - About as good as it gets for pigment inks

Black and White Print Quality - Neutral black and white, low metamerism

Print Quality - Gloss enhancer virtually eliminates bronzing and gloss differential

Good Drivers - Easy to use, allows for easy job tracking

On-Board Spectrophotometer - Allows automated ICC creation, profiling system is easy and well designed V2 Product - Building on lessons learned from Z3100, the Z3200 is a more refined product

Firmware Upgrades - Add functionality and evolve color gamut

WEAKNESSES

Speed - Quality over quantity

Ink Tank Size - Limited to 130 ml tanks

Paper Feed System - Rear loading system is a hassle, can not handle media over .8mm thick

Paper Advance - Roller system not as elegant as vacuum system

Firmware Upgrades - Large updates that have required reprofiling media at times

Startup time - Takes a long time to restart